ExplorationsA Graduate Student Journal of Southeast Asian Studies

Volume 15 | 2019

Volume 15 | 2019

Articles

The Creeping Hand of the State in Post-Reformasi Indonesia: Is Democracy in Irreversible Decline? James Guild

5

Transnationalism and Multi-dimensional Flow of Remittance in CambodiaVeng Seang Hai

23

Explaining Cambodia’s and Vietnam’s China Policies: National Security or Regime Survival? Sovinda Po

43

The Balance Between Values: Cultural Tensions Surrounding Thai Comedy Rachel Filbeck

57

Collective Memory and Embodiment of the Naga in the Northern ThaiCultural Landscape Piyawit Moonkham

69

Notes from the Field

Insider Dilemmas: An Ethnographic Study on Community-Based MedicalEducation in Aceh, Indonesia Rosaria Indah

86

Studying a Cross-Cultural Community in a Post-Conflict Society: A Marketplaceas a Setting Abellia Anggi Wardani

93

Book Reviews Violence and the Civilising Process in Cambodia. By Roderick Broadhurst, Thierry Bouhours, and Brigette Bouhours Matthew Galway

99

Body Parts of Empire: Visual Abjection, Filipino Images, and the American Archive. By Nerissa S. Balce Samantha Cabusora

104

Meet the Authors 108

Restored Fort Amsterdam in Ambon Image: Benjamin Moseley

2 Explorations Volume 15, 2019

Dear Readers –

Welcome to EXPLORATIONS: a graduate student journal of Southeast Asian studies. The scholarship contained in this volume includes well-researched and original articles, eye-opening notes from the field, and constructive book reviews, all of which contribute to our ever-expanding knowledge of Southeast Asia as an area of study. Between these pages, graduate students and early career scholars explore important topics such as humor in contemporary Thai culture, differences and similarities between the China policies of Cambodia and Vietnam, and the dilemmas faced by scholars conducting field research in post-disaster areas in Indonesia.

The EXPLORATIONS editorial team is pleased to be a part of this student-initiated platform to encourage and promote graduate scholarship in Southeast Asian Studies. Nonetheless, we are grateful for the guidance and support provided by the University of Hawai!i at M"noa’s Center for Southeast Asian Studies. We are especially appreciative of the center’s always delightful associate director Paul Rausch and its lifesaving tech wizard Diliaur Tellei.

Sincerely, EXPLORATIONS Editorial Team

EXPLORATIONS is a publication wholly managed and edited by a board of graduate students, in conjunction with the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at the University of Hawai!i at M"noa and partially funded by the United States Department of Education, through a Title VI grant.

The principle mission of EXPLORATIONS is to offer a forum for students to present disciplinary and interdisciplinary research on a broad range of issues relating principally to the region which today constitutes Southeast Asia. Embracing both the diversity of academic interests and scholastic expertise, it is hoped that this forum will introduce students to the work of their colleagues, encourage discussion both within and across disciplines, and foster a sense of community among those interested in Southeast Asia.

The views expressed in EXPLORATIONS are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the editorial board. If you have interest in participating in the production of EXPLORATIONS or have questions, comments, or submissions, please contact the editors at: explore@hawaii.edu, or EXPLORATIONS c/o CSEAS, University of Hawai!i at M"noa, Moore Hall 416, 1890 East-West Road, Honolulu, Hawai!i 96822 USA.

Please visit us on the web at: http://cseashawaii.org/students/explorations

Editorial Team Madeleine Aitchison

Imelda Carlos Soksamphoas Im

Matthew Kelty Benjamin Moseley

Design and Layout Support Soksamphoas Im

Benjamin Moseley Diliaur Tellei

CSEAS Coordinator Paul Rausch

Cover Picture: Wat Xieng Thong in

Luang Prabang!2019 Soksamphoas Im

Wat Xieng Thong in Luang Prabang!2019

Soksamphoas Im

Explorations